Oakland's P&W Spirits Presents: Longman's Classic Gin

Don't call it Jack London Square

If there's one idea that holds Adam Lamoreaux's new Oakland distillery project together, it's the local working waterfront. If you only wander Oakland's Produce and Waterfront district of an afternoon, or walk past the public marina enroute to the ferry dock, you might be forgiven for assuming that light industry, stevedores, and merchants of Oakland's prewar heyday had all abandoned the place by 1951, when it was first commemorated as "Jack London Square", or at least by the arrival of the 1960s and containerized shipping.

But take a walk up 3rd street when the markets are open, or just step into the Produce and Waterfront Spirits Company distillery, and you'll instantly feel how the mixed use, post-light-industrial neighborhood is trending in a very cool, very optimistic direction. It feels new and different, like maybe we should all start calling this part of Oakland the Produce and Waterfront district again instead of just Jack London Square.

Don't call it a comeback

There's no better champion for East Bay small business localism than Lamoreaux. Growing up in the Bay and stationed at Alameda during his time in the Navy, he created two near legendary breweries, anchoring Oakland's craft beer scene in the waterfront district for decades (the much missed Linden Street Brewery and Old Kan). Lamoreaux brings such intense focus on local history to his work that he ended up recreating the beer you would have bought in Oakland in 1890, the same year the Linden Street building was erected for Standard Underground Cable.

He's no less excited about the new digs on 3rd Street. "One of the coolest things about what we have going on is our building. It's very inviting. It stands out. It's like what I loved about Linden Street when I first found it--you just roll up and you're just like this is dope. When it's all said and done, we want it to be the preeminent destination for serious cocktail fans in Oakland's working waterfront district".

Longman's Classic Gin

"If the botanicals on our other gin (American Dry Gin, see below) had a color, I was thinking orange. This one is purple", says Lamoreaux of the newly released Longman's Classic Gin. Aiming for simple and approachable, Longman's Classic is nonetheless well-balanced and intriguing at 44% ABV, with star anise and fennel instantly recognizable on the nose. With warming (read: "purple") spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice balanced by tannic black tea, floral lemon verbena and lavender, and a persistent juniper profile, this gin is super versatile behind the bar. Martinis, sure! But how about a French 75 or a Pimm's Cup?

Longman's American Dry Gin

Lamoreaux the brewer is predictably bullish on grain flavor, and it's clear that Longman's American Dry Gin (we're calling it "OG Longman's" now) draws on his past experience and connections in Bay Area brewing. With deep, malty notes from the Admiral Maltings barley fermented and distilled into the gin's base spirit, Lamoreaux says P&W gave themselves "permission to not shove a bunch of juniper into it. That's why it's so good as a martini but doesn't mix as well." Billed as a contemporary, or modern dry gin at 47% ABV, the malt and subdued juniper show up in the nose, with pine, malt, and vanilla lingering on the slightly saline palate. Sip this epic local dram cold with your favorite salty hors d'oeuvres or in a simple, stirred cocktail at back bars around the Bay.